Lucy
by Elysia Times
Summary: Clary and the others are over at Magnus' place, when a girl called Lucy suddenly visits. Clary hasn't seen her friend for three years, but she is still her mischievious self. Will Magnus tolerate this impudent girl? There is, however, more to Lucy than meets the eye...
1. Chapter 1 - A Mischievious Friend

**CHAPTER 1 - A MISCHIEVIOUS FRIEND**

Clary looked at her friend standing in the doorway, with an amused and slightly worried expression. It had been so long. So long. Somehow she always managed to make her laugh freely and heartily, forgetting all else, even the impending doom hanging over her head. In this moment, meeting her friend after three years apart, the coming war was peripheral.

Lucy let her eyes wander mischievously over the room, resting on the quite handsome guy sitting nonchalantly on the couch, watching them both. He had a kind of innate beauty, blond angel hair, a face with elegant features and an air about him not many had. She met his eyes briefly, and what she saw made her think twice. He didn't seem to care about anything, his confidence a mask of indifference, but there was something else, something else entirely. A flicker of insecurity. Pain.

Was she seeing things? The moment was gone as soon as it appeared. She shrugged, and returned to her friend taking a step forward. Lucy met her friend's eyes again with a playful smile. "Missed me?" Clary chuckled, meeting her eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you know I have. So what brings you here, of all places, I might add?" She met her friend's eyes quizzicaly. "I don't believe I told you where my friends _live_." Lucy actually managed to send her a sheepish look, something which was a rare accurance. _A rare accurance indeed_, Clary thought with growing amusement.

"Ah, I asked your mother. I came here straight after leaving my luggage at your place." She strolled over to a free chair and sat down, making herself quite at home, acting exactly like the friend she knew and loved. Lucy seemingly didn't have a care in the world. _Not that she would act differently, even if she knew who Magnus was_, Clary thought wryly. She turned from her apparently oblivious friend, and met Magnus' eyes. "Sorry about my friend. Sometimes she doesn't have an ounce of humility or common sense." Clary could clearly see Magnus wasn't exactly happy about her rude friend, but somehow he also seemed a bit entertained.

Lucy managed rather efficiently to stop any answer from Magnus, by once again proving she lacked any sense or even the tiniest bit of tact."Oh, Clary! I met Luke while I was at your place. Did he finally ask your mother?"Clary dropped the book she was holding in her hands, yet again surprised by her mischievious friend. Or was she simply clueless? "Eh, not exactly..." Lucy turned to look at her friend with an appraising expression. "Hmm, pity." Clary picked up the book she had dropped, and put it back with the pile of other ancient books and parchments. The looks on her friends faces almost made her laugh hysterically, when she turned around to meet them.

Magnus seemed even more intrigued, glancing at her friend with raised eyebrows. Izzy almost sent Lucy an approving look, while Alec looked a bit uncomfortable with her friend's lack of tact. Simon sent her a knowing look, being the only one who had ever met Lucy before. In the whirlwind that was Lucy, not many escaped unschated. Jace was the only one who didn't seem to have any reaction, being his always calm and collected self. Still he sent Clary a small smile, for a second breaching his ever imprenetable facade. "Lucy!" Clary called her friend with a mischievious look of her own, chuckling lightly. "Come and greet my friends." This was going to be an interesting night. _An interesting night indeed._


	2. Chapter 2 - Truth or Dare

**CHAPTER 2 - TRUTH OR DARE**

Her eyes followed her friend's movements with a calculating frown. Lucy was fun to be around, always the center of attention, even managing to compete with this crowd. She had an edge to her, a playful facade of irony and nonchalance, but Clary knew there was more to her than that. She was a girl with many witty and smart comments, but her intelligence didn't stop there. Lucy was smart about people and circumstances. Clary knew she didn't miss a thing, not the unusally old books strewn across the table nor the hints in the conversations or the alertness in the Shadowhunters' movements. As soon as she had the opportunity, Clary had pulled Simon aside. He was not under _any_ circumstances, she stressed that point, to give Lucy the chance to realize he didn't have a pulse or a beating heart. That was all she needed.

Clary walked over to the table where Magnus and Alec were sitting, plopped down on an empty chair facing them both, while still being able to watch her friend. "An interesting friend you got there, Clary." Magnus nodded at Lucy with a playful, but scrutinizing, look. "Yes, she is." Clary said thoughtfully. "She really is fun to be around, but sometimes I fear she's to smart for her own good. That's actually something I came to warn you about." She gave him a level look. "She picks up on things. Hints in conversations, surroundings and body language. I'm sure she's already noticed these aren't your usual old books." Clary glanced at the table filled with ancient books and parchments. She closed a book with elegant writing and symbols, while making sure it was the only one left open. Clary met Alec's eyes. "I'm pretty sure she knows there is more to you than meets the eye. Your concealed weapons are a dead giveaway. And," her eyes cought Jace's across the room, "she probably already knows we're dating, even though I haven't told her anything about Jace yet. If I know her as well as I think I do, then I guess she finds you puzzling. A conundrum she wants to solve."

Magnus' amusment grew colder while Clary spoke, and he watched Lucy more carefully. Clary's friend was a _mundane,_ an interesting one he had to admit, but he didn't like trouble. Something Lucy had every potential of being. On the other hand she definitely lightened the mood and had the ability to hold truly entertaining conversations. Magnus had lived for centuries, and was usually good at reading people, but there was something about this friend of Clary's he couldn't decipher. Something besides her cheerfulness and wits. An undercurrent in her whole being. Almost as if knowing, Clary answered Magnus' thoughts. "She has a difficult past, one she hasn't told me much about." She glanced at Magnus with a sad expression. "In some ways she has a lot in common with all of us."

An enthusiastic voice broke through their reverie. "Clary, why don't you guys come over here? I just started telling them about New Years Eve." Clary looked at her friend with growing dread, and let her head tump at the table dejectedly. She slowly raised her head and met Magnus' and Alec's surprised faces, smiling faintly. "Oh, this has the potential of becoming utterly embarrassing." She knew exactly what Lucy was talking about. This night was suddenly becoming a little too interesting. Lucy always knew how to make her smile, laugh _and_ as uncomfortable as possible. Meeting her impending doom, she rose from the chair and chuckled slightly at Alec's growing tension and Magnus' questioning eyes. "Ever heard of the game _Truth or Dare_?"


	3. Chapter 3 - New Year's Eve: Part One

**Author's note:**

Hi!

Thanks for reading my first fanfiction ever :) I hope you'll enjoy it! Currently I'm writing four chapters called _New Year Eve _(see chapter two, if you don't know what I'm talking about), which originally was supposed to be one (maybe two) chapter(s), but ended up being four. In the coming week, I plan to post a chapter each day or every second day. Please feel free to review. I'll be happy to know what you think, and what I can do better :)

The next few chapters loosely places _Lucy_ after City of Glass. There may be some details which deviate from the original timeline (as Lucy's question about Luke reveal). I have not, however, placed it in context with any one particular book of the last three. Yet, anyways.

I guess that's enough about that...

Merry Christmas, everyone :)

(I'm certainly glad to not have to think about exams for a while...)

- Elysia

* * *

**CHAPTER 3 - NEW YEAR'S EVE: THE GAME**

Clary walked mournfully to the couch Jace was sitting on, dreading what her friend had already told them and what she would reveal in the next minutes. Her life had changed so much these last couple of months. She knew the fear of losing someone. The fear of death. A year ago she was a relatively normal girl, who worried about what usually troubled a teenage girl. Her world was turned upside down, when her mum went missing. She met a dangerous new world. The Shadow World. Invisible to the naked eye, but still very much real. Nothing could have prepared her for the shocking and horrible truth about her father _and_ brother. A brother she never knew she had, and one she already lost in her mother's womb, even if he was still very much alive. Her mother's life story was filled with pain, sacrifice... and lies.

Clary shock her head, trying to push her thoughts away, at least for now. She met Lucy's eyes and felt a pang of guilt, knowing she was keeping an important part of her life hidden. Then she saw the look in Lucy's eyes, and her fears about the Shadow World suddenly evaporated. She knew that look all too well. _Uh, oh... this is going to be highly uncomfortable. _She dropped heavily on the couch with a quiet sigh. She raised her eyes to Lucy, almost flinching when she saw those naughty eyes. _Crap, she isn't going to let me off easy._ Resigned to her fate, she let out a mournful breath. "So, you were talking about?" Being painfully aware that Lucy knew how uneasy she was, and knowing the answer to her question, she met her eyes. "The time we played _Truth or Dare_ on New Year's Eve, of course. Three years ago." Clary tried to look determined, but knew it was a lost cause to prevent this topic. "You know we're not supposed to talk about that afterwards." Lucy gave her an innocent look. "Why not?"

Clary quickly decided not to try and dissuade her friend, as that would be a futile effort. She turned to Jace and the other inhabitants of the Shadow World. A couple of questions later she discovered that none of them knew the rules _or_ the game. Well, almost no one. Simon had been there that night, so he obviously knew, but Magnus also seemed to know about it. If the mischievious look in his eyes was any indication. In an almost business-like manner she clapped her hands together. "So, do you want to do the honors, or should I?" She looked at Lucy, but she only shrugged and urged her to continue. "Basically we ask each other questions, which have to be answered truthfully, or dare someone to do something. After your turn, you ask someone else to choose truth or dare. There aren't really any more rules than that, but..." Clary looked at Lucy pointedly, "it may be _preferable_ to stay within _reasonable_ boundaries."

Completely disregarding Clary's last comment, she happily started telling Clary's newfound friends about the disasters and pranks of one evening before the New Year. Clary exchanged a brief look with Simon, he seemed just as uneasy as she was. She knew he'd not gotten the best welcome, being treated differently because he was a _mundane_. Some things changed when he became a vampire, for better _and_ worse. He was now a part of their world, but still subjugated to the usual disdain and arrogance from Shadowhunters. Clary gave him a weak smile, and his eyes clearly said what his voice didn't. _Could we please talk about something else!_ Lucy clearly didn't listen, she was in her element and nothing short of the world's end would deter her from her path. Clary sighed, deciding to play along and try to shield Simon from their friend's usual obliviousness to other's comfort.


	4. Chapter 4 - New Year's Eve: Part Two

**CHAPTER 4 - NEW YEAR'S EVE: AN ICE BATH, A DATE AND A REVELATION**

"I can't say taking a bath in the _ocean_, was an especially _delightful_ experience. It was eight degrees Celsius!" Clary said with a dry laugh. "You were lucky I didn't push you in!" Lucy looked at her innocently, with concealed amusement. "You never could resist a dare, and" she seemed a bit disappointed, "honestly, that was probably the easiest dare of the night! It got progressively worse during the evening." Clary shrugged, definitely feeling sheepish. "Ah, I guess you're right..." She turned to the others. "Have any of you..." Clary stopped mid-sentence. _That's probably a stupid question. Chasing demons for years, it wasn't exactly _unnatural_ to find yourself cold or wet._ Lucy pretended she didn't notice Clary's unfinished question. "Then again, you didn't dare ask your math teacher out, even if you had a crush on him," she said, almost as an afterthought. Clary felt her cheeks redden. _Please, kill me now!_

There was a pregnant pause, a heavy silence echoed throughout the room. Clary willed her blush to lessen, before daring to face her friends. She looked anywhere but at Jace. Lucy could clearly feel a promise of revenge in her friend's accusing and piercing eyes. _Maybe that was a bad move. _She knew all too well that her friend could take a lot from her, but when she'd had enough, things could get... _troublesome_.

"A teacher, eh?" Clary met Magnus' raised eyebrows, seemingly enjoying her predicament. "Well, ehm.. not exactly..." She turned to Lucy in an abrupt movement. "I never said I had a crush on him." Her words were thick with accusation. Lucy grinned at her, realizing she really was playing with fire now, but still unable to resist. "Really?" Clary looked like she had to restrain herself, to resist punching her in the gut. "Yes! Anyways, I wouldn't want to be responsible for getting anyone fired!" The expression on Lucy's face turned dangerously smug. "Well, yes, that I can understand. But you know, you didn't really deny you liked him."

Clary was at a loss for words, looking completely stupefied. Her eyes wandered about the room. Both Simon and Alec showed expressions of supreme discomfort, glancing slightly at Jace, who Clary promptly ignored for the time being. Izzy seemed a bit amused, but also a tad worried concerning Jace. Magnus, on the other hand, chuckled. He looked at Lucy, yet again intrigued by this girl._ Is there more to Lucy beneath her cheerful surface?_ Magnus wondered. Clary had already warned him she could be exceptionally perceptive.

Lucy let her eyes stay at Jace for longer than was probably polite. _Why is this bothering him so much?_ She turned to Clary... and then she _knew,_ with a pang of guilt in her chest. _So, that's how it is._ Wanting to relieve the tension in the air, she said in a merry voice: "Well, everyone thought he was a cool teacher! I wouldn't want to get him fired either." Despite her barely hidden, almost _wicked_, grin, Clary gave her a thankful look. She turned to Jace, whispering something in his ear. His calm facade, which a moment earlier had a slightly hurt and questioning expression, was back to normal.


	5. Chapter 5 - New Year's Eve: Part Three

**CHAPTER 5 - NEW YEAR'S EVE: THE SECRET NOT TO BE TOLD**

Clary suddenly jumped from her seat on the couch. "I'm thirsty. Mind if I find myself something to drink, Magnus?" Magnus looked thoughtful for a split second, then answered: "No. There should be some juice in the fridge... and there's always water in the tap." She nodded and went through the loft, noticing the _unmistakably_ familiar paintings stacked against the wall by the kitchen door. She opened the door, and then _felt_ more than heard someone rise from their seat. A little smile escaped her otherwise pensive expression. She knew who that was.

Clary scanned the contents of Magnus' almost empty fridge. It was a pitiful sight, but then again he didn't really need it. He had a tendency to conjure paper cups with liquid out of thin air, probably stealing them from a poor shop keeper. Orange juice in one hand, she opened the cupboard with the other. "Want something to drink?" It was still, a fraction of time robbed of any audible sound. He had moved quietly, thinking he went unnoticed. Clary surprised him yet again; there weren't many he couldn't sneak up on. He quivered with mirth, overjoyed she had learned from their lessons. Clary had never been helpless, but now she could be downright _deadly_.

"I'll take some juice, thanks." His voice revealed nothing of the surprise he'd felt by her question. At his answer she finally turned around, a wailed expression of pleasure at being able to detect him. "Coming right up," she smiled while filling their glasses, the relief suddenly apparent. A brief intermission was certainly welcomed. _Lucy's quite ruthless with her friend, but in her own way seems to honestly care_, Jace noted soundlessly. "A teacher?" he probed cautiously, efficiently hiding his emotions. "No, it's not how Lucy made it appear." Her eyes never strayed from his, holding them firmly with a gaze showing true sincerity. "He was young and... not exactly bad-looking, I'll have to admit that, but I was never interested in anything more than a student-teacher relationship." She could see him visibly relax, believing her honest words. "It may be a good idea, though, not to take _everything_ Lucy says at face value." Clary sent him a teasing grin, her emerald eyes twinkling brightly. "I think it's time we joined the others, don't you?" She handed him his glass of juice, and nodded at the door leading to the living room.

" '... _the_ secret you've never told anyone?' Well, I didn't actually know she could surprise me, but..." At that exact moment Clary and Jace walked into the room with beverages in their hands. Clary stopped dead in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine, almost freezing her silent, but fortunately not quite. "Finish that sentence on the pain of death!" she roared indignantly. Clary could feel her face burn, but her voice was as cold as ice. She had finally had enough. Lucy tilted her head slightly to the left, a smile tugging her lips. She looked like a child wondering if she was doing something wrong. "Oh, really?" Clary met her eyes with a fierce expression, never wavering. "Really." Lucy almost seemed like she was pouting, wondering if she could continue, but still knowing she couldn't. If she wanted to escape Clary's wrath, that is.

"Why do you want to keep it a secret?" Lucy asked innocently. Clary looked at her disbelievingly, seriously contemplating her friend's sanity. "Are you really asking me that?" Lucy apparently stopped to think for a second, weighing her options, and then she nodded. Clary gave an exasperated sigh, before meeting her friend's eyes with an expression Lucy couldn't have interpreted even if her life depended on it. "Lucy, you're one of the smartest people I know... but sometimes you don't have a tactful bone in your body!" Clary gave her a level look, her eyes clearly challenging and her voice filled with wailed amusement. "Try me if you dare, but you will not like the results." The two young women looked each other in the eye, trying to find a weakness or just determining if it was worth it.

The room was eerily quiet. Nobody said anything. Even the Shadowhunter's held their tongues, watching with interest. This friend of Clary's brought out a completely different side to her. Magnus could see the mischievous look in their eyes, something which actually surprised him about Clary. It wasn't often a character in someone surprised him like that. Suddenly he could see a wicked spark in Lucy's eyes, as she turned from her friend's gaze. "You know, what she..." Her words stopped abruptly, when Clary took her arm in a firm grip. Her eyes showed never yielding determination. When Clary started to speak, her voice was nearly a whisper and as sharp as a knife. "Lucy, I would never bodily harm you, but there are other ways." It seemed like Lucy wanted to counter her words, but she grew deathly silent with Clary's next words. "I'll tell Mike." Lucy just looked at her friend for twenty seconds, horrified. With quiet words, stripped of her bravado, she said: "You... wouldn't... dare..." Clary caught her eyes with a playful attitude, but calm and firm as a mountain. "Wouldn't I...?"


	6. Chapter 6 - New Year's Eve: Part Four

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Mortal Instruments, it's characters or any situations you recognize in this story. Only my imagination is my own ;)

**A/N (Author's Note):**

Here's the 4th (and last) installment of _New Year's Eve. _I hope you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing :)

yoyoyo: I'll just say, you'll find out who he is soon ;)

- Elysia

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**CHAPTER 6 - NEW YEAR'S EVE: FROZEN IN TIME, BUT TIME STILL LINGERS ON**

Magnus loved to throw parties. He did complain though, but who could blame him? It wasn't exactly fun to get werewolf-hair and faerie-dust out of the couch. _A true nightmare indeed,_ Magnus thought, while reminiscing about the last one he'd thrown. He had stopped inviting vampires after that incident with Simon. _The hair and dust I can take, but turning someone into a _rat_ is just bad manners, _and _too much trouble._ He let his eyes wander between the people in the room, and settled on Clary and her friend.

So young all of them, but in some ways not quite. They were young in _years_, not even twenty, though still more than budding sprouts. Some of them were skilled warriors, and _all_ had lost something or someone. Even Lucy. Her past was a mystery, her present self even more so. She had not escaped life, that much was clear crystal. Magnus wasn't young either, but neither was he old. Not really. _That's the thing about immortality, _he chuckled to no one in particular, _you're somehow apart from time_. He never had the time to be a child, nor would he grow old and die. Frozen in time. Apart from it, but still somehow related to the ever flowing current of time.

His eyes switched from Clary to Lucy, one serious about the matter, the other playing games. Or trying to. It was pretty easy to see how smart Lucy was. She knew exactly how to bend the limit, but not cross it. _They seem to know each other rather well_, Magnus noted. _What's Clary's secret, though? _The way she was obstinate about not telling, and the way Lucy knew she could not and would not divulge this particular secret about her friend. _It somehow makes me really want to know!_ An audible sigh escaped his lips. Magnus wasn't someone to pry secrets from people they themselves did not want to tell. He was pretty secretive himself, especially concerning his past. It was a hard learned lesson, realizing you lost a part of yourself each time you laid your secrets bare. _The drawbacks of immortality, really,_ Magnus' profound mind told him.

Some time later, after Clary and Jace came back from the kitchen and some more embarrassing truths and dares from a New Year's Eve long past, she finally rose from her seat beside Jace. "I think it's time we got home, Lucy. It's already way past midnight, and we've taken up Magnus living room far too long." She nodded at Magnus. Lucy seemed reluctant to go, as she was having a splendid night with Clary's friends. Nonetheless the common sense she still possessed prevailed, so she got up from her seat. "Thanks for having us over. It's been... _fun_," Clary said, a deep frown dawning at the last word.

They turned to Magnus, who was leaning on the doorframe, with smiles on their faces. "Thanks for tonight!" He nodded, and said in what was probably a believable voice: "You're _always_ welcome." Lucy waved happily, and when they'd gotten out of earshot, she turned to look at Clary. "Those tattoos were _really_ interesting. Know where they got'em?" Clary stopped for a second, frozen in shock and disbelief. It was a casual remark, but it bore with it so much more. So many questions. Dangers. The way Lucy just said it, like it didn't matter, was more than proof enough she didn't know. She had wanted to shelter her friend from this part of her life, which always grew dangerous. Now she couldn't. The truth was unavoidable. Undeniable.

Lucy could see the Angel's Marks.

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**A/N:**

Sorry about the cliffhanger! Let's just say the plot thickens ;) I'll try to post a new chapter before New Year's Eve, if not sooner. I'm working on the next couple of chapters :)

Feedback is highly appreciated! Please review and tell me what you think.

Merry Christmas :)


	7. Chapter 7 - The Angel's Runes

**CHAPTER 7 - THE ANGEL'S RUNES**

The strays of sunlight illuminated the room, waking Clary from her slumber. Tired eyes, heavy with lack of sleep, fought to stay closed. _It got a bit late last night_, her sleep-induced mind told her. Then the memories flooded through her consciousness, and sleep was long forgotten. Lucy was here. She told them quite colorfully about New Year's Eve. _Oh, crap! I could die of embarrassment... _Clary lifted her head, sending Lucy, who was still sleeping at the moment, a vicious glare. It didn't last long, though. One word from last night made itself painfully clear, demanding attention.

_Tattoos._

* * *

"So you plan on staying home this afternoon?" She looked at Lucy with a frown between her eyes, contemplating her next move. "Yes," Lucy said in a faraway voice. "I have an essay due next week, and I haven't even started." She sent Clary a quick glance, hidden teasing evident in her emerald eyes. "You know I can't _always_ embarrass you in front of your friends..." Clary threw a grape at her, and said: "Doesn't stop you, though, does it?" Lucy made an expression of mock-hurt. "You wound me! I'll have you know _teasing_ is an art form, but you just make it too easy..." Clary sounded indignant at her next words: "Does not!" She felt a nervous chill, when seeing a satisfied grin tug at Lucy's lips. "Oh, you don't, huh..." The green in her eyes glowed brightly. "So that's why you were avoiding Jace's gaze when I mentioned your math teacher?"

The well-known redness creeping up her face, made itself known again, as it often did in Lucy's company. "No, it wasn't... I mean... eh," she spluttered undignified, lying _spectacularly_ bad. "Still denying it I see..." Her words left no chance to disagree. "So, how long have you and Jace been dating?" Clary gave up trying to fool her, and answered in a defeated voice: "Um, it's kind of been a while now." Lucy gave her a level look. "It's serious?" Clary met her eyes then, emerald eyes meeting the same sparkling green ones. "Yes, it is."

Lucy put her plate in the sink, glancing over her shoulder with a wistful look on her face. "You know," she started slowly. "Maybe I shouldn't have…" Clary sent her a sly grin. "Are you trying to say something?" she said, deliberately faking obliviousness. "You're usually quite articulate." Lucy concentrated on the dishwashing for a second, then looked at her solemnly. "I guess I deserved that." Clary watched her in amusement, still not willing to cut her some slack. "Maybe you did." Lucy threw the washcloth at her friend. "It always was… and still _is_, impossible to apologize to you!" she said indignantly. "Well, you don't exactly have much practice," Clary deadpanned. This, Lucy decided, was not even worth dignifying with an answer. She returned to her dishes without a word in refutation. Clary put her last bit of scrambled eggs in her mouth, sighed, and went with her plate and glass in hand to Lucy. She placed her hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze."Thanks for lightening the mood yesterday, even if it was at my expense." Lucy turned around, giving her a sparkling smile. "My pleasure." Clary snorted, saying with nostalgic recollection. "Oh, I _know_!" Lucy pretended she didn't hear, and changed the subject. "So, I'll see you at dinner?" Clary took the hint, and started for the door. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Sure you don't want to come?" Lucy laughed. "I think I can manage, and you may have to do some damage control…" Clary gave her a solemn look, her eyes far away. "Kind of."

* * *

Clary walked into the quite familiar loft apartment of Magnus', ignoring all the colorful and extravagant furniture. You never knew what his apartment would look like. Or what you'd find. The shark tank was still livid in her memory. A freaking SHARK. What infernal business deal could he possibly need it for? She looked at the space where the tank had previously been, a faraway look in her eyes. On second thought, she didn't want to know, and Magnus would never tell anyway. Some things where better kept as secrets. Others were not.

Clary sat down quite gracefully on the couch, her demeanor demanding _undivided_ attention_._ She decided to skip the pleasantries, and said: "I finally understand why my mother did what she did. Why she let you... take my memories away." Her eyes met Magnus', relentless and sad. "I now find myself in the same exact situation." Magnus looked thoughtful for a moment, then raised his brow. The silent question resounded throughout the room. She broke his gaze, and let her eyes stray to the three Shadowhunters in the room, finally settling on Jace. "Last time," her voice sounding fierce in the silence, "she could see your Marks. The Angel's Runes. She could see them." Clary watched the truth of her words dawn on them, slowly.

Still resisting.

* * *

**A/N:**

I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments :)

Next chapter's heading: _Truths Revealed and Secrets Kept._ (Mike's identity is finally revealed!)


	8. Chapter 8 - Truths Revealed

**CHAPER 8 - TRUTHS REVEALED AND SECRETS KEPT**

The silence in the room was thick, like fog clouding their reasoning. Three words danced in the air, screaming at them.

_The Angel's Runes!_

Alec was the first, for once, to break the silence with a simple word: "How?" Clary gave him a quizzical look, but was somehow at a loss for answers herself. "I don't know exactly. It may have something to do with her parents." She rose the head she had, just seconds ago, put in her hands. "Her parents died in an accident when she was five, I never knew them." A pensive frown appeared between Magnus' eyes. _A difficult past, indeed, and it may not remain in the past if this is going where I think it is..._ Clary met Magnus' eyes dead on. "I didn't want to reveal anything more about Lucy's past, than what I already told you and Alec last night. It's not my story to tell."

A hunted expression crossed Clary's features, and for a minute she said nothing. With a resigned look, she started to speak once again, carefully watching the reactions her friends displayed. "But I see no other way now. She will soon figure out we're not normal teenagers. The capability she has to put two and two together... Let's just say she'll start _believing_ the things she saw as a child playing in the garden. The things no one else could see. She told me about the _pixies,_ once, daring me to question her sanity. Apparently they thought her a trick or two." Clary couldn't resist a barely wailed smile tugging at her lips, despite the seriousness of it all. Lucy's stories were _truly _entertaining.

The group sat in silence for a couple of minutes. This situation seemed oddly familiar. An unknown teenage girl, able to see things she shouldn't be able to see. "Who were her parents?" Magnus finally decided to ask. She could see the unspoken question in his facial features. _What really happened to them? _Clary hesitated. She was really walking on ice know, the ice thin and looming in warning, daring her to take another step. With a lump squeezing her throat, she decided she had no choice. She'd have to face Lucy's wrath later, but _now_ she had no other option. Clary couldn't do to Lucy what her mother had done to her. The instinct to save her friend from this world was strong... _Oh, so strong..._ but not strong enough to take away her choices. Her memories. THE TRUTH_._

"There were some rumors...," she began, "about Sarah's and John's deaths..." She looked at her friends again. They had thought her so much about herself. About their world. _Her_ world. It was a dangerous world, but also filled with wonders. Beautiful glass cities, ancient languages and _interesting_ characters. It was never dull. _She'll love that_, Clary thought wistfully, _she'll love to explore this new hidden Shadow World._ Izzy coughed silently, waking her from her reverie. She smiled encouragingly at Clary, urging her forward.

"It may not have been an accident," she finally said. "They never found the cause of the fire, but... somehow... it seemed like someone might want to harm them." This time Jace grabbed her arm and turned her to him in a fierce grip. "Why would someone want them dead?" The question felt as cold as icicles, never yielding, but still spoken with concern. "The day after the fire, Mike disappeared with the five year old Lucy..." Clary saw the questioning eyes. "Her guardian," she clarified. Suddenly she could see understanding dawn on Magnus. She looked around, and realized he wasn't the only one who remembered the casual mentioning of Lucy's guardian. Clary _had_ threatened to tell him a secret Lucy would rather keep to herself, actually efficiently stopping her from divulging more embarrassing facts about New Year's Eve. _Though, oh, so short-lived,_ Clary thought spitefully. There would _always_ be another dare.

She stopped her chain of thought relentlessly, continuing the story: "He tried to hide it when I asked him about her parent's deaths, but he couldn't hide the fact they were running from something. Or someone." She stopped momentarily, letting the words sink in, and took a deep breath before speaking her next words.

"I plan to tell her everything..."

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**A/N:**

So... hope you liked the new chapter! Things are getting a bit more serious now, hope you don't mind. I have a fair idea where this story is going, but feel free to leave suggestions and comments. Reviews are always much appreciated :)

Next time, more about Lucy's past...

- Elysia


	9. Chapter 9 - A Past Hidden

**CHAPTER 9 - A PAST HIDDEN, NEVER MEANT TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY**

Lucy sat up in the bed, her back against the wall and her knees tucked under her chin. Her eyes stayed glued to the photo on the bedside table. The darkness in her rose to the surface, like ripples in a pond. The pain she had locked away all these years was not so safely tucked away anymore. Something about meeting Clary's friends had opened a portal to her past. The cage was cracking, memories spilling to the surface. They were all-consuming when allowed to take hold, gripping at her with poisonous fangs. Suddenly she was five years old, the past becoming real once again.

Intense heat. Suffocating smoke. Cold winter air froze her tears. She heard a woman's heart wrenching screams, dying as the flames licked her body.

Fear... and then stillness.

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When she was five years old her parents died in a fire. Some said it was an accident, some said it was intentional. All Mike knew to do was to get his best friend's daughter out and far away. Hidden from prying eyes. After all, there were some truths in the whispers, he just didn't know how serious or how potentially fatal they could be. Sarah and John always did get in trouble with the Clave. Not that they wanted trouble. It was a matter of principle; they just wouldn't follow what they deemed wrong and old-fashioned. Self-chosen exile they'd called it.

The first week after their death, he felt paralyzed with the ever growing and numbing sorrow of loss. Still, he couldn't wallow in his misery. An eight year old needed his attention. An eight year old who had seen her parents _burn._ Her mother managed to push her out the window on the first floor. A split second later the floor above crashed down on her head, leaving the girl standing alone in the garden with silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She had always been a quiet child, a bit too serious in regards to her young age. And a bit too smart, ever so often outsmarting her parents, but still not able to discover their deepest secret. Nothing was ever the same after that night. Lucy changed irreversibly. Her silence and seriousness forever gone.

One day he'd caught her playing cheerfully in the garden, a child's playfulness and innocence as plain as day. After a week her silent tears stopped, never to return. Her demeanor changed irrevocably. Somehow unnaturally so. She never spoke of her parents again, as though they never existed. She acted like the child she was supposed to be, but not the one she was. His breath had caught in his throat, when she looked up at him with shiny eyes and called him _dad_. A second later she looked thoughtful. He caught himself quickly, realizing his mistake. Her eyes showed the need for an answer. An answer he had to give. Had to.

After that warm and bright day in June, he let her call him father, knowing what it would do to her if he didn't. The guilt he felt towards her parents he could handle, the rare insecurity in her eyes... not so much. There was a glimmer of hidden pain in the child's eyes. Pain so real, so overwhelming, only being managed by locking it away in a deep corner of her heart. It's key... forgotten.

Years later the child grew into a beautiful young woman. Scarlet soft hair framed her face in elegantly shaped curls. Green mischievous eyes lightened up her face. All trace of a tragic past gone, hidden beneath the surface of her glowing eyes and warm, though a bit naughty, personality. She always played jokes on people, her laughter resounding in her victims' ears. Mike had to laugh with her sometimes, despite himself. She was and always would be a carbon copy of her mother, but not just in appearance. The flaming red hair was a deep contrast to her mischievous green eyes. Still, the look in her eyes when she thought no one was looking, was clearly scared by the ghosts of her past. She, like her mother, had lost her parents in a tragic way, the past forgotten by most. Life still continued on in their old neighborhood. Most people avoided the ruins of her early childhoods' home, some sparing it a fleeting glance. Like an afterthought.

Forgotten by time.

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**A/N:**

Sorry I haven't updated this story until now - school's starting again and I regretfully don't have as much free time as I did over the holiday. I'll try to post a new chapter every week... or every second week.

I hope you liked the new chapter! Please review - feedback is always appreciated, good or bad. I'd like to know what you think; about where this story is going - things getting a bit more serious. I know I put humor as a genre, but as I haven't written much of the sort previously, I hope I'm not doing too bad... Originally I planned this to be a oneshot, but didn't quite feel finished after the New Years Eve arc.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you all had a splendid holiday, and wish you a happy New Year :)

- Elysia


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